(no subject)

[tree_and_leaf]

While it does seem that a certain author of Draco-centric fic has been taking more liberties than she should have with other people's work, I'm beginning to feel that some of the specific instances she's being hauled over the coals for are unreasonable. As snorcackcatcher has said elsewhere, allusion to other literary works, and yes, even 'stealing' ideas from them is a standard part of writing even original fic.

It occurs to me that, by this standard, Gaudy Night, which is one of the finest and most principled novels I know on the subject of intellectual integrity - would, on these measures, be deemed plagiaristic. Peter Wimsey scarely opens his mouth without uttering a quotation or a witty allusion, Harriet is nearly as bad, the SCR at Shrewsbury seem to regard this as part of normal discourse, and even Lord St George, who is fairly bird-witted, has a go at it. In fact, I can't think of a character who doesn't (unless it's Harriet's boring ex-best friend). More than that, the narrator uses bits of Shakespeare and other writers, which I daresay she expected the reader to spot. And no, I would not dream of counting this as plagiarism, and I don't think it needs a footnote. Neither, despite the tremendously unhelpful notes, does The Waste Land, or anything else by TS Eliot.

I was recently looking at a Sandman novel (I'm afraid I forget which one), in which a character told what I recognised to be the Scottish story of the lady of, I think, the Gordons, whose husband was murdered by the Gregora. The MacGregors, being not only callous but not awfully bright, went off to the man's house carrying his head in a bag, which they then dumped on the table and drew their swords to deal with his wife. She, however, by sheer sense of character and skills as a hostess, got them to sit down, and had a dinner served to them with lots of wine. Until the moment that the men of her clan slipped very quietly into the room, when she said 'But here is my man without wine or food. Give him to drink!' and the men of her clan immediately cut the Gregora's throats. And afterwards one of her men asked her how sha had kept her countenance and saved herself, in front of yon fell thing on the table, and she replied "He was a fine man and I am sick at heart to have lost him. But I am a woman of the Gordons, and the day that I cannot keep my countenance and work my will upon men, that is a day that you will never see." I read it first in one of George MacDonald Fraser's novels (one of the MacAuslan ones, probably The Sheikh and the Dustbin), but I never thought that GMF invented it. Nor do I think that either GMF or Neil Gaiman are plagiarists, and my reaction to its appearance in Sandman was one of pleased recognition.

I wonder if the plagiarism policies of the universities are at the back of this, where people have been left feeling that unless you cite everything, you can expect to be sent down (not, in fact, that people always do this, and not like far more blatant plagiarism has been eradicated). Or maybe it's just because people are happy to see an overrated fic cut down, on whatever grounds. But while the use of Pamela Dean's fiction, and some of the other examples cited, are clearly unacceptable, I really don't think it's necessary for everyone to start footnoting the odd reference to The Waste Land or the Archers or whatever. On the other hand, what a read through of the Draco stories confirmed for me was: you can overdo the allusion, and if someone is going to turn into a heavy user of quotations, then it ought to be in character for them to do so. But those are literary sins, rather than matters of honesty and dishonesty. An overuse of lines from Buffy, Blackadder and Prattchet doesn't necessarily make you a bad person. It will, however, almost certainly make you a bad writer.

ETA Just to clarify, this is not to say that I think either the acceptance of gifts (particularly such valuable ones), or the heavy-handed and unpleasant way that criticism of Cassie has been dealt with in the past is right. It clearly isn't.

Comments

[zoepaleologa.livejournal.com]

However, *smirk*, the TOU for Fiction Alley state very clearly and explicitly that you should cite all provenance that is not the work of your own imagination as part of your disclaimer.

There is a default disclaimer for HP, which is formatted authomatically, according to their rules, all other stuff "not your own" has to be mentioned in the disclaimer.

unless you are the boon companion of the owner

Of course, I suppose CC and her supporters might argue that the database field provided was unfortunately too small for the citation space needed.

There are a number of issues. First, it is wrong to plagiarise. And that is what she's been doing.

Second, she and her chums have done little but threaten those who did clearly call the plagiarism.

Third, she has clearly profited. As a result of her popularity, she at least owns an Ipod, and a laptop. I personally feel she can directly ascribe her publishing deal to her internet popularity. She's "in" with other writers who have praised her to the skies. She's publishing under her internet alias, and the one under which she wrote fanfiction. I'd say she's clearly jumped on the back of HP success.

What I believe, but naturally cannot prove, is that it has been done in a fairly cynical and unrepentant way.

Legend and stuff is out of copyright. You should still allude, I believe unless it is a very made over retelling. Take for instance a Celtic/Arthurian legend: Tristan and Iseult. I used this for a fanfic, and indeed so did a best selling historical novel: The Far Pavilions, by MM Kaye. That story (dressed in a british Raj setting) is Tristan, as I live and breathe.

Eliot used references that were so old, they were almost certainly out of copyright. I agree it's a thin line, but CC was way over the other side of it.

The Sandman is the recent collection of stories. That particular episode is the "Desire" story.

I've very little sympathy for CC. Mainly because of her propensity to let Heidi play official rotweiler. Though I feel that people threatening to carry the war into her real life is a bit heavy.

[tree_and_leaf]

You're right, of course - the profiting from fan-fic is completely out of line, as is the threatening behaviour. I should have made it clear that this was my opinion in the post (I've done a small edit, now), and I certainly have very little sympathy for either CC or Heidi.

Thanks for pointing out the business with the TOC - this had escaped me, and I agree, it's pretty rank hypocrisy.

And thanks for the Sandman reference.